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PreviousColin McRae DIRT Review
PlayStation 3 Review by Kristan Reed
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Aside from these rather petty moans, DIRT basically combines the best bits of the Rally games with the Race Driver titles, throws the whole thing into a spanking new engine and comes up with something quite special. It's been said enough times before, but the visuals are such a gigantic leap up from Codies rather underwhelming efforts with the last generation of CMR titles that it totally scratches off the main complaints we used to have. As you many recall, top-notch visuals were the missing link of the previous three Colin McRae titles, so to see the three year break put to such stunning use is genuinely heart-warming. Previously, the handling, damage model and driving physics were up there with the very best, and for all that good work to be retained and refined alongside stunningly detailed tracks, glorious particle and lighting effect and beautifully rendered vehicles is the sign of a studio really pulling out all the stops and listening to feedback.
Codies has also been careful not to stray too far towards arcade or simulation. Just as it has managed so expertly with the three TOCA Race Driver titles, it manages to straddle both areas perfectly, offering authenticity without making it inaccessible to mere mortals. Yet if you poke around in the menus, the ability to tweak set-ups still lurks for anyone who wants to tinker, so the option remains there if you believe you can eke a little bit extra performance out of your ride.
Just truck off
But in the same way as certain elements of Race Driver games don't quite come off, the same holds true for DIRT. For whatever reason, Codies decided to shoehorn truck racing into this game as well, and they stick out like a particularly sore thumb. Racing in bouncy 4x4s isn't the best fun, either, but these unwieldy monstrosities are nothing compared to the lumbering, oafish trucks which are about as fun to race in as caravans. Not a single person I've ever met who has played this game has had fun with them, and, at worst, you may end up being forced to play these events just unlock later sections of the game. Admittedly, the bite-sized nature of the races means they don't outstay their welcome to any great degree, but after enduring two or three of these events, you really won't relish having to play any more of them.
It's not dirty, it's bloody filthy.
Another point (which went unchallenged in the original review) is the slightly borked online implementation. The claim of 100 player online mode all sounds incredibly promising, doesn't it, but the truth of the matter is far from that. All the '100' figure actually means is up to 100 people can all vote on and race the same Rally or Hill Climb stage, with the 'winner' being the one to post the fastest time. You don't actually race against them in the manner you might expect - as in they don't physically appear on your screen. It's just a dynamic leaderboard system, and a bit of a fudge by Codemasters, if we're being blunt. Having recently enjoyed the true online racing in SEGA Rally, this really is no substitute in that respect. (And while we're talking about SEGA Rally, this game's crying out for track deformation - but maybe next time, eh?)
In terms of the obvious 360 to PS3 comparisons, this fares as well as can be expected. The colour palette appears slightly warmer on PS3, and the visuals are, in general, just slightly softer than the 360 version we were battle hardened by. But in terms of how it ran, the differences were nigh on imperceptible, with the same solid, breakneck sense of speed that makes bumper cam racing such an essential part of playing DIRT. On a point of preference, the lack of rumble was a tad jarring, but, then again, DIRT doesn't make especially innovative use of rumble anyway, generally kicking into life during gear changes rather than reflecting every nuance of the track in the way SEGA Rally does on 360. If anything, it's the gigantic PS3 triggers that we still have trouble getting used to, but that's possibly down to not having played too many racing games on the platform to date than anything.
All round, Colin McRae DIRT is fine game which mixes just the right amount of depth with the kind of accessibility that should open up the brand to the kind of audience it always deserved. Sure, some of Codies tactics in 'going mainstream' are a tad irksome, but in the main the game succeeds by not only being exceptionally good fun to play, but being unquestionably one of the finest looking racing games on the market too. With only an undercooked online element and pointless truck racing detracting from the package, it more than makes up for these aberrations elsewhere. Codemasters did Colin proud.
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Latest Videos
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Latest News
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8 November, 2007 [2]
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"If anything, it's the gigantic PS3 triggers that we still have trouble getting used to, but that's possibly down to not having played too many racing games on the platform to date than anything."
The triggers are fairly horrible tbh - this seems to be the general consensus at least among the people I know (both casual and hardcore). |
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"If anything, it's the gigantic PS3 triggers that we still have trouble getting used to, but that's possibly down to not having played too many racing games on the platform to date than anything."
Yeah triggers are terrible, can't understand why all of a sudden every PS3 driving game (bar GT HD) thinks it necessary to utilise them since ever since PS2 the face buttons have been analog and worked fine. Hope there is the option to revert to the much more comfortable GT control scheme. |
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"But in terms of how it ran, the differences were nigh on imperceptible..."
Kristan needs glasses! I have compared the two versions and the PS3 version runs far smoother than the 360 version (which is terrible!). Less tearing too. But the PS3 version seems a tad aliased though.
Edited 2 times,
most recently on 03/10/07 @ 14:13
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Call me blind all you like, but I sat down with the 360 version for 15 or so hours and did not notice any tearing issues at all. There was some minor slowdown here and there, but nothing that affected the enjoyment of the game. Maybe to a small extent it's down to the differences in TVs, as these arguments have raged throughout the lifespan of the 360, with some people ranting on about perceived v-sync horrors and others swearing blind they're not there.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 03/10/07 @ 14:37
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Machiavellian
03/10/07 @ 13:40
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Well Beano I also have compared the two final games and there isn't anything big about the difference between the two. I am not sure if you need to blow out your 360 cache but the two games pretty much ran the same. I will give the edge to the PS3 because it did feel more consistant but on my 56HDTV there was no big difference in the performance of the two games.
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Krudster, hows this game with the wheel? What wheel support is there, and how's the force feedback in that? I have both the PS3 and 360, but the PS3 has typically had so much better wheel support that this is a hugely important thing for me. Using the controller I thought that the driving model was incredibly meh, but if the feedback on the wheel is good that might help, and often there's a slightly different engine behind the game when you use a wheel anyway.
I'd also like to know if there are sixaxis steering controls as well. In Motorstorm these worked great, and so far I still like that game better. But who knows I might change my mind on Dirt if I try the full game.
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most recently on 03/10/07 @ 15:05
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Don't mind using the triggers myself, not as comfortable as the 360 ones, but still more than usable.
As mentioned, the PS3 version is actually smoother for me to. The only real artefact's you get graphically are on the main menu where you can see some jaggies on the text. Edit: Wheel support on the 360 is one of the worst implementations yet, as it lacks any cohesion between the what you see and what you end up feeling. Though not as bad as Sega Rally... wtf were they thinking [too see what I mean, drive on smooth tarmac without touching the wheel, and accelerate slowly and steadily, the wheel just goes nuts flying left to right].
Edited 2 times,
most recently on 03/10/07 @ 15:12
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Yup this game is supposed to support Logitech G25 on PS3 and I'd really like to buy the G25 but untill I know there is enough support for one I am a bit weary for spending £130, I already have a wheel for my PC that I could replace but only want to if it can be used on PS3 like G25.
Any chnace you have a G25 lying around Eurogamer to test it. I didn't noticed tearing on 360 or PS3 but I definately noticed the chugging moreso on 360. PS3 triggers aren't as good as 360 but you do get used to them.
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most recently on 03/10/07 @ 15:14
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Triggerhappytel
03/10/07 @ 14:34
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Rash - "PS3 version was the lead platform, right? That would explain a lot."
I would expect so. I'm not 100% on the details, but as far as I know the Neon engine which this is built from (and the next Toca/Operation Flashpoint games) was created by Codies for Sony. Not sure if Codies have exclusive rights to develop using it, or if we'll see in first-party Sony games in the future, or what. One thing I do know is that a codition of Codemasters creating the Neon engine was that it was to be compatible in cross-platform development, hence DiRT being on 360. |
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krudster - "Call me blind all you like, but I sat down with the 360 version for 15 or so hours and did not notice any tearing issues at all."
Sorry but you did ask... you're blind! ;) LOL Seriously unless you were playing this game on a 14" portable from 12 feet away, you cannot fail to notice the tearing as the game doesn't go ten seconds without tearing. It's one of the worst offenders on the Xbox 360 in my opinion along with Splinter Cell: Double Agent and the pre-patched Saints Row. Doesn't alter the fact that those games are great obviously but the visuals are marred somewhat by the "wobbly" look. The PS3 version is much improved in this area and if you play from the internal view, you'll hardly see any at all unlike the 360 version. |
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I'd agree that the American bits (voice-over and CORR races) are shite.
I also think that the cars are a bit "floaty", and the tarmac stuff, cross over events are better fun and more realistic then the gravel events. Sony really lost an opportunity with the DualShock3 to fix the L2/R2 triggers. They should be convex rather than concave and have a rubberised finish like the tips of the analogue sticks. |
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monkie_king
03/10/07 @ 15:19
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@les: "ever since PS2 the face buttons have been analog and worked fine."
Hmm, apart from the fact there's absolutely no physical feedback to tell you how much force you're applying -- hence the laughable need for a guage on screen in the likes of GT4. Everybody else has managed to get triggers right since the Dreamcast. How can Sony still be making a bodge of it 9 years later? |
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TrickyTreeUK
03/10/07 @ 15:36
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Dirt 8/10 and Sega Rally 9/10 *rollseyes*
30fps on an arcade racer. Sega, what have you been doing for the last ten years? Remember the Dreamcast? Crazi Taxi? 60fps. So you got your ten mile draw distance so you can get a nice picture up on IGN, got your car with bits of obligatory mud on the bumper, got your stupid rutted race course which makes not a stuff of difference given the lame handling engine, and what are you left with? A clumsy heffer of a game which splutters out an unconvincing 30fps. You also made the mistake of running the front end at 60fps, something those folks at Codemasters, who have similarly little mastery of the system, avoided with the flawed CMR Dirt giving a solid but pathetic 30fps performance. I am tempted to get rid of every game that runs at anything less than 60fps. There's no excuse when you have games like GT5 Prologue, Gaiden and RR7 providing a true next gen experience. I can let Oblivion off the hook. But not Heavenly Sword. 30fps on a fast moving slasher is a travesty. Why do 90% of PS2 games run at 60fps when only a meagre handful of 360/PS3 games can manage it? Gimmicks, that's why. Complex, CPU frazzling real physics engines such as Havok, real time lighting and over complicated reflections, track deformation, damage. I can understand that FPSs and RPGs don't need 60, but racers and slashers do and I will be boycotting any future releases in these genres which opt for page splashing gimmickry at the expense of a smooth, slick HD experience. You might have picked up that I also really wanted to like this game! Who in their right mind thinks: OK, let's update this old arcade classic, you know the one that's still there in Gatwick airport and any number of rusting seaside slot rooms, and always has a few kids with backpacks stuffing coins in it; and give it a next gen facelift - oh and let's fill it full of gimmicks so it can only run at 30fps, nobody will care... It's an arcade game ferpetesakes and have you ever seen an arcade game run at anything less than 50fps? Nope. Only us poor old souls with expensive hardware at home have to put up with that! For me the joy of arcade racers IS the framerate...there's nothing like a well modelled palm passing smoothly through your peripheral vision while an approaching vista - jaggies and all- can be seen approaching from the horizon. Outrun 2 had it. Ridge Racer lives by it. GT5 redefines it. Rant over! |
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Maybe I'm just being grumpy but I cant help but think by adding unnecessary extras they're diluting the game, if they didn’t spend the time developing buggies couldn’t we have had a more detailed damage model, if they didn’t add trucks couldn’t we have had much longer courses, a selection of co drivers, deformable terrain ...etc ...etc.
In my opinion Codemasters changed how they went about making a racing game after the releases of TOCA2 and CMR2 and not for the better. |
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"Why do 90% of PS2 games run at 60fps when only a meagre handful of 360/PS3 games can manage it? Gimmicks, that's why. Complex, CPU frazzling real physics engines such as Havok, real time lighting and over complicated reflections, track deformation, damage."
360 and PS3 were released way too soon and are seriously underpowered to deliver smooth HD graphics coupled with more complex game worlds. Lost generation, this... |
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"real physics engines such as Havok,"
Sorry to disappoint you old chap, but even Havok is a very, very rough approximation of "real" physics. The fact of the matter is we're unlikely to have anything powerful enough to do anything other than an approximation for quite some time yet. Also I'm certain that 90% of the PS2 games I own don't run at 60hz. In fact the only one I can think of offhand is GT4. |
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"Maybe I'm just being grumpy but I cant help but think by adding unnecessary extras they're diluting the game, if they didn’t spend the time developing buggies couldn’t we have had a more detailed damage model, if they didn’t add trucks couldn’t we have had much longer courses, a selection of co drivers, deformable terrain ...etc ...etc."
I completely agree with this. By adding loads of extra types of vehicles, Dirt is trying to be all things to all people. The phrase "jack of all trades, master of none" is very appropriate imo. I only liked the Rally and Hillclimb events in the 360 version of Dirt. About halfway through career mode I got fed up with the dull Yank shite like rigs, trucks and buggies, and I actually put those races on the lowest skill level just so I'd only have to do them once. |
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@lambtron
"Sorry to disappoint you old chap, but even Havok is a very, very rough approximation of "real" physics. The fact of the matter is we're unlikely to have anything powerful enough to do anything other than an approximation for quite some time yet." Have a read through the Havok docs. You'd be amazed how much effort is put into their engine to make calculations as accurate as possible. Ultimately, ofcourse yes it is an approximation. Games = smoke and mirrors. People seem to forget that. |
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"Why do 90% of PS2 games run at 60fps when only a meagre handful of 360/PS3 games can manage it?"
Actually, I believe 90% of PS2 games *didn't* run at 60 fps. If you're looking for games on the console with that kind of frame rate, check out the 2d capcom fighters, games like guilty gear, and a few games released very early in the consoles life time. Every other game will skip frames like a bitch, especially newer games, as developers push the PS2 hardware to it's absolute limit. The only reason no-one notices is because playing games on a tv makes everything look terrible. EDIT: someone already wrote this exact comment, heh :). Note to self - read all the comments next time.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 03/10/07 @ 17:23
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monkie_king
03/10/07 @ 16:39
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... and arcadey racers such as Outrun C2C, Burnout ...
(and plenty of other PS2 stuff ran in a frame, such as sundry Namco and Sega fighters, God of War etc. etc. It's horses for courses obviously - Shadow of the Colossus was a slideshow at times, for example, but the tradeoff in that case was worth it. However, I'm strongly in the camp that believes 60fps is synonymous, and inseparably so, from that slick arcade "feel". There's a reason all those classic Model 2 and 3 games didn't trade away framerate for graphical extravagance. I reserve judgement on Sega Rally, however, not having played it.)
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most recently on 03/10/07 @ 17:59
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ResidentKnievel
03/10/07 @ 19:00
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I don't know what V-sync tearing is and can hardly tell the difference between 30fps and 60fps, but somehow I think its better that way.
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